


Victims of Fate

by shdowstep



Category: Bleach, Fate/stay night & Related Fandoms
Genre: Action/Adventure, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, F/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-02
Updated: 2021-01-20
Packaged: 2021-03-12 07:29:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 15,295
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28506747
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shdowstep/pseuds/shdowstep
Summary: One was now a Spirit of the Rokungai, helping those who were too weak to help themselves. Another was now a Hollow, sheltering those who desired a haven. No longer with the memories of who they were, and yet both sword and sheath remembered the promise that was once made - One forever searching while the other endlessly waited. Both willing to fight for the happiness they desired.
Relationships: Emiya Shirou/Artoria Pendragon | Saber
Comments: 7
Kudos: 31





	1. Prologue

_Earth, the realm of Humans._

_Hueco Mundo, the realm of Hollows._

_The Soul Society, the realm of Spirits._

_Three worlds that make up reality - and all interconnected with each other._

_Humans either go to the Soul Society or become Hollows upon death._

_Hollows either stay in Hueco Mundo or eventually are cleansed by Shinigami and sent to the Soul Society._

_Souls within the Soul Society eventually become part of the reincarnation cycle and return to Earth or they are consumed by a Hollow and become a part of it._

_Three worlds that make up the sum of all creation - but whether they be human, hollow, or spirit… each is a soul. A Person. Each with their own desires and goals._

_Though sent to a different reality and separated by worlds, the promise between sword and sheath is remembered and kept. One forever waiting, while the other searches endlessly. Each waiting till they can meet once more._

* * *

_The Soul Society_

Within the world that was the Soul Society, there were two distinct sections: The Rokungai, where the majority of souls live after they die, and the Seireitei, where the nobility and Shinigami live.

As one would expect, life in the Seireitei and life in the Rokungai were two extremely different lifestyles.

The Seireitei contained the homes for the nobility, the Shinigami, the scientists, and the scholars. Government buildings, noble estates, barracks, and research centers could be found throughout the city known as the Court of Pure Souls. The size of such a place such that it would take ten days for a person to walk from one of the four gates to another.

And yet despite it's large size, the Rokungai easily dwarfed it. Surrounding the Seireitei, the Rokungai was composed of 320 districts that expanded ever outwards from the center.

As one would guess, the further one got from the Seireitei, from the heart of the government and the policing it provided in the way of the Gotei 13, the more lawless and brutal it became. Such that past district 50 it was more common to see people without sandals than otherwise.

It was the responsibility of the Gotei 13 to help patrol and keep the Rokungai safe. Even in the Soul Society, it was possible for Hollows to make their way there after all. Against a Hollow, most spirits would be completely helpless, so such policing was a necessity.

When described by most people, the Gotei 13 would sound like the epitome of nobility and honor, protecting the weak and upholding justice, however -

"HEY! GET BACK HERE YOU BRAT!"

That was not always the case.

On a dirt street, surrounded by old, dust ridden houses reminiscent of feudal japan, one could see a small boy running desperately away from two men with swords. His face the picture of panic, he ran through the street and alleyways, heedless of who he ran into.

The boy looked to be around 8 years old, but looks were often deceiving in the Soul Society. When a person can live up to several hundred years, it is often hard to determine a person's true age, and children often aged slower.

The two men chasing him wore the Shihakusho of a Shinigami, and held Zanpakuto in their hands. It was because of this that nobody dared interfere, simply watching the spectacle with jaded eyes, doing their best not to attract their attention.

The child continued to run until he was suddenly grabbed by another person and pulled into a hug, shielding him from the men. Looking up with watery eyes, he saw the scared face of his big sister, and he immediately burrowed into her side.

The two Shinigami came up to the girl, "Alright lass, just go ahead and let the boy go and be on your way." The larger one sneered.

The girl continued to hold onto her brother tightly, looking up at the two men cautiously, "W-whatever it was that my little brother did, I-I'm sure that he didn't mean it." She said, her voice trembling in fear slightly, "He-he's still young, and we're both fairly new souls, and -"

"Hah! A likely story," The burlier Shinigami said while leering at the girl. "Here we are, members of the Gotei 13, out here risking our lives to protect all of you worthless souls, and that boy assaults us!"

The boy whimpered into her side, "I'm sorry…" he whispered, "I was just… just playing with my ball… I didn't mean it… I didn't want it to hit them…"

"Hmph!" The smaller Shinigami grunted, giving a small smile, "I'm sorry, but as trained soldiers in dangerous territory, it's only natural to think that a projectile coming towards us is dangerous. This boy clearly sought to antagonize us, and must therefore be made an example of. Otherwise how would people respect the Gotei 13?"

The girl paled, clutching her brother even tighter, "B-but he's just a boy!" She protested shrilly, only for the two to give her mocking pity looks.

"That's if we believe his looks. Heck, he could be 78 for all we know, eh Boyle?" The bigger one snorted before giving the girl an eager look, "But, if you really want, I suppose _you_ could pay the price in his stead."

The other Shinigami leaned over and placed a hand on the trembling girl's shoulder, giving her a false look of support, "I think Griss here has a fine recommendation indeed," He said with a cheerful smile, "This way, we all leave with something. Truly, the definition of a compromise, is it not?"

The girl could only tremble as she tried to desperately control her breathing. Shinigami weren't like regular souls - they were strong, with both weapons and spiritual pressure. A normal soul would never have a chance.

Clearly all of this was a farce. They weren't even trying to make it look legitimate. But what could she do? She and her brother were simply citizens of a poor district. If she said no, it would just make them angry, they would just take what they wanted anyways, and they might hurt her brother…

That was the way the world worked, beneath the fancy trimmings after all. The weak were trampled on, without any regards.

Just as Boyle reached out his hand to touch her face, he heard a buzzing noise that steadily got louder. At first puzzled, his eyes widened and he quickly jumped back, narrowly missing having his arm chopped off by a sword spinning fast enough to be a buzz saw. It slammed into the building, driving completely through it, and both Griss and Boyle panicked at the sight.

They had felt the presence that that sword had, and could recognize the feel of a Zanpakuto, which meant another Shinigami.

It was one thing for the citizens to see them bullying others - a Shinigami was another matter entirely!

They both immediately stood at attention and turned around, preparing a variety of excuses for what they were doing, only to blink in surprise at the sight.

Before them was a man who looked like he was in his mid-twenties, red unkempt hair that came down to his shoulders, and strange golden color eyes. His clothes were practically trash, leather vest and pants frayed and full of holes, but beneath which they could see tanned skin with scars stretched across lean muscle.

What truly surprised them however were the weapons he carried, and they remained tense even as the spinning blade returned to the strangers hand.

Despite the condition of his clothes, his weapons were beautiful works of art - and were both clearly Zanpakuto, despite the only known record of dual Zanpakuto wielders being a grand total of two. Both Captains of the Gotei 13.

Still, both Griss and Boyle relaxed. This man was used to combat, that much was certain, but despite somehow owning Zanpakuto he was no Shinigami.

"Oi!" Boyle shouted at him, glaring menacingly, "Just what do you think you're doing? Don't you realize who we are?"

"..." The amber eyed man glanced at them without expression, "These two apologized for whatever it was that they did," he stated calmly, "I think it's in your best interest to take their apology and leave them alone."

Griss chuckled, "Oh do you? Well, I think it's in your best interest to leave these two to us. This is Shinigami business you see."

"Is that so?" The expression never changed as the man sheathed his swords and gave a small bow. "Well, if that's the case, then I suppose there isn't much I can do. Let's go speak to your superior and get this 'Shinigami business' settled."

The two blinked at the calm tone the other man was using before glaring at him, "Why would we need to bother our superior 'bout something as small as this?" Boyle growled intimidatingly, but the man didn't seem bothered at all by it, only glancing dismissively at their swords.

"You are new here." The amber eyed man stated, never losing his even tone. "You were ranked at the bottom of your squad for your lack of fighting ability and were given this job as punishment. Not once has either of your blades seen combat outside of a spar, and even then they have never known victory. Therefore, you don't have the authority to administer any form of punishment. That would be the prerogative of your immediate superior."

Each statement the man gave was like a blow to the gut for both of their pride.

Desperately rallying himself, the larger of the Shinigami managed to give a sneer to the interloper, "Look man, we're the ones who uphold the justice around here. Stick around and we might have to show you just how well we can administer that!"

Both suddenly shuddered at the spiritual pressure that suddenly flooded the area, and it was all they could do to avoid falling to their knees.

" _Justice?"_ A low voice stated menacingly, " _And what do the two of you know about 'Justice'?!"_

The houses on either side of them in the alley, already in terrible condition, began creaking under the man's spiritual pressure, a blue interface pattern seemed to glow on his arms before dying down, as well as the spiritual pressure.

All the while, both Shinigami had broken into a cold sweat. No matter how physically fit a person was, in a battle between spirits what mattered was one's spiritual energy. And based on what they just felt… That man had considerably more than they did.

_And he didn't even look like he was trying._

Once the man got his energy under control, he levied his glare at the two frozen men. He grunted, jerking his head in the opposite direction. "Leave." He said coldly.

Neither wasted any time, and soon were running back to where they were supposed to meet the others for patrol, trying to decide whether they should tell the rest about the non Shinigami or not…

* * *

Rosette trembled on the ground, clutching her brother tightly. Sure, this man might have saved them, but for what reason? He was clearly strong, and the strong never did anything without it benefitting them.

She already learned that lesson many times over.

The man sighed suddenly, rubbing his hand across his face. "Dang it," she heard him curse, "Why'd I go and lose my temper like that…" He gave a deep sigh, before looking at her and smiled gently, "Are you alright?" He asked softly.

She said nothing for a moment, carefully thinking about her answer before deciding to be honest, and nodded silently at him.

The red haired man sighed in relief, "Good. I'm glad that I got here in time." He then looked at the two of them with a more thorough gaze, "You two don't have anywhere to stay, do you?" He asked, but from his tone he clearly knew the answer already, which irked her.

District 59 wasn't the worst of districts, but it was clearly far enough from the Seireitei that nobody gave a crap. The patrols that were sent over were far from the best the Shinigami had to offer, and bandits and thieves abounded.

She and her brother had been living off the streets for a while now, and she was grateful that neither she nor her brother required to eat as a spirit. She considered themselves lucky that they had been able to stay underneath everybodies radar before today.

She was interrupted from her musings as the man stood up with a groan and held out his hand. "C'mon," he encouraged, "I know a place that you can stay."

Eyeing the hand for a second, she took it gingerly and he helped pull her up, with her realizing how strong he was by how effortlessly he did so.

He started walking in a certain direction before pausing and laughing awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck as he did so, "I apologize," he said sheepishly, "I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Shirou. Shirou Emiya." He gave a quick bow, "It's a pleasure to meet you."

* * *

In the end she had gone with him. If he wanted to do something to her then she would have been hard pressed to prevent him - she simply didn't have the strength to resist him - and she and her younger brother truly didn't have anywhere else to go, so… why not?

He walked her through the alleys for about twenty minutes, and she watched as the houses became more decrepit as they went deeper into the district, with more trash piling up, and her paranoia continued to rise.

Thankfully it wasn't long after that they came to one house that looked like it was on the verge of collapsing. He smiled at her obvious skepticism before gesturing to her to follow him, and she did so hesitantly.

Upon opening the door and entering inside, she felt her mouth drop open in shock.

Contrary to the outside of the house, the inside was well kept and almost… Homey. There must have been something blocking the noise, because as soon as she walked through the threshold she heard the sounds of numerous kids talking and playing, and felt her brother Nikal perk up at the sound.

Looking around, though the place was relatively spartan it was well kept, and well worn. She saw multiple rooms off to the side, and heard numerous people talking in what she assumed was the kitchen, to her confusion.

She nearly jumped when she heard a kids voice suddenly shout out "SHIROU'S BACK!" And a small stampede of feet followed. One blink later, and Shirou was on the ground, dog piled underneath a pile of kids that were asking him a bunch of different questions.

She looked at the scene in confusion till she heard somebody chuckling to the side, an older, skinny man smiling fondly at the scene. He slowly walked over to the pile of bodies, "C'mon kiddo's, let's let Shirou on up. I know you're excited that he's back, but you can't eat until you're all up at the table."

Slowly the kids got up off of him and pulled him into the other room, and Shirou gave her an apologetic smile as he was kidnapped. The old man chuckled at her expression and put his hand on her back, pushing her forward. "You'll get used to that, don't worry." He said fondly. "Now c'mon, I might not know you, but I know that look of one of Shirou's strays, and I'm assuming you haven't had any of his food yet."

She looked askance at him, "But… We don't need to eat," she said in bafflement, and the old man tsk'ed at her, looking at her sadly. "Oh my dear, you've got a serious case of ignorance." He said with downcast eyes. "No worries, one taste of Shirou's food should fix that right up!"

With that, she let herself be guided into the dining room, the confusion still not leaving her face.

Though that did smell rather good...

* * *

Not fifteen minutes later, Rosette was regretting ever having doubted.

She might not have had to eat anything, but this food was AMAZING. She wasn't even sure what it was that she was eating, and she was sure that it was the same for Nikal.

This made it worth it… All the pain and frustration she had gone through? She could forgive life (or was it death?) now that it had decided to give her this food.

As she ate, the others told her about where she was. There were twenty kids living here, as well as four adults. This Shelter had been established by Shirou earlier that year, and he had been doing his best to help build it up and protect it from some of the more dangerous elements in the district.

Every once in a while, he'd just bring somebody to the shelter like he had with her, and their little family would grow, and during that time Shirou had also been teaching both the kids and the adults how to defend themselves as best as he could.

As the meal began to wind down and the kids ran off to play some sort of game, dragging Nikal with them, Shirou turned to her and with a hesitant and… Hopeful(?) look in his eyes.

He reached into what remained of his pants and pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to her, "I'm sorry for asking," He apologized hesitantly, "I know that you said you haven't been in the Rokungai for very long, but… Have you seen this person before?" The hope in his eyes was almost painfully bright now.

After everything that he had just done for her, she felt terrible that she had to answer in the negative.

"No," she said with regret, "I'm afraid that I have not."

The picture was a beautifully drawn charcoal drawing of a short woman, her hair in a bun, dressed in armor. It wasn't the armor of a shinigami, so perhaps a mercenary of the Rukongai?

"Who is it?" She asked.

Shirou's expression had turned sorrowful for a moment before he suppressed it and gave her a light smile, "That's what I'm trying to find out." He said sadly. He then picked up some of the dishes and smiled at the rest of the group, "I'll go ahead and start washing everything, you guys get to watch the kids."

"Pfft! Easy trade young man, hah!" A mustached man chortled, looking at Shirou cheerfully as he took the dishes and walked into the kitchen with them.

An older woman, Kishtur, sighed sadly before giving Rosette a kind look, "Don't worry yourself hun, he's been looking for her for years in the districts. Traveling to the various ones, asking as many people as he can."

Rosette looked at them in confusion, "But who is she? And why would he want to know?"

The mustached man took out a pipe and was about to light it till Kishtur kicked his chair, glaring at him, causing him to sheepishly put it back. Coughing uncomfortably, "He knew her when he was alive he says." He stated bluntly, "Unfortunately, he can't remember all of the details of his life."

Rosette flinched, feeling even more sorry for the man.

When a person died and came to the soul society there was a chance that the person would arrive with no memories whatsoever of their life. Sometimes it was because they were purified after being hollowfied. Other times? Nobody was really sure.

A clean slate, people called it.

Sometimes fragments remained, but it was never a lot, and those fragments were often more of a curse to the person. To have a fragment, an idea of what you had lost, but unable to ever retrieve it?

She shuddered at the thought.

"But, how is he so sure that she is still here?" She asked hesitantly, making sure to keep her voice low. "She might not be dead, or she might have been reincarnated already."

Kishtur shook her head, "Poor dear, he believes that she'd have waited for him. And so he wanders, rarely staying in the same district for more than a year." She glanced at the kitchen as she stood up and started making her way to where the kids were. "It's actually getting to be about a year now actually." She said morosely. "We think that that's why he's been pushing his self defense lessons on the kids. Wants to make sure they are prepared, the considerate dear."

She glanced at Rosette right before she left the room, giving her a genuine smile, "You're free to stay as long as you'd like dear, and he'll say the same. But please, don't feel pressured.

After that, the conversation turned to more mundane topics and questions, and the kids were slowly rounded up.

Nobody realized that Shirou had heard the entire conversation.

* * *

Shirou sighed, pausing in his cleaning of the dishes.

He felt guilty about continually leaving the people he helped. It's why he stayed for as long as he did, to make sure that things wouldn't fall back to what they were, but…

_She was on a hill, the dying sunlight framing her in a way that took his breath away. She glanced at him, and his heart ached at how much he loved her. She smiled gently, "Shirou... I love you."_

_As if it was waiting for that moment, right when she started to disappear before his eyes, some kind of black mass struck the two of them. He panicked, immediately trying to -_

Shirou hissed in pain, and his mind skipped the memory.

_Shirou was drowning, and his desperation grew because he couldn't find her! Then, he heard a distorted voice, as if from a distance, "Begone… Heroes." It said mockingly, before he experienced the feeling of being flung away._

The next thing he knew was he was waking up in one of the outer districts of the Rukongai, with no memories save for a random few. He knew his name was Shirou. He knew that he desired to be a Hero.

And he knew, from the depths of his soul, that he loved the woman from his memories.

And so he traveled, from District to District. He remembered how to fight, and as the roads were riddled with bandits he never lacked for practice. Some he even managed to persuade to give up banditry. Others…

He had been told that when a soul perished in the Soul Society that it returned back to the reincarnation cycle and entered the Human World once more. That explanation never made him feel any better, and he did his best to make sure that he had gone through every other option before doing that.

He sighed, cursing the depressing turn that his thoughts turned to, until he felt the feather light touch of something else touch his own thoughts.

" _You only did so when they gave you no other option, of this we bear witness."_ A male voice strummed through his thoughts.

He smiled sadly, " _Had I been stronger I could have done better."_ He thought back. _She_ would have been able to. He might not remember much about the woman his heart cried out for, but of that he was sure.

A different voice sounded out, " _Is that not why you continue pushing yourself? It's not like you have ever slacked in your training."_ A female voice stated matter of factly.

He gave a light chuckle, " _You two never let me mope for long."_ He jested. Still, he felt slightly better for it.

" _Of course not."_ The female voice replied primly, " _Until you find your love and she can do it herself that duty falls to us. Rain and swords never go well together."_

" _ **If**_ _I find her,"_ Shirou reminded them.

" _Of course you will find her."_ The male voice replied firmly. " _Just as my love and I always return to each other, so to shall you find yours. You are like us - two souls intertwined, continually searching for you other half. And one day you shall."_

He shook his head ruefully, " _Thanks Kanshou, Bakuya."_ He thought gratefully.

Kanshou and Bakuya. Two of the spirits in his soul that manifested as the white and black swords that he used. Several of the Spirits that he talked with called them Zanpakuto, and he just went with it. He had first made contact with the two during a particularly brutal fight many years prior.

A year later and he could actually hear their names.

He had talked with them in his inner world in the past, and he had seen the number of swords that were there. When he asked Kanshou and Bakuya about them though, they simply said that he would learn about them in time.

And so he traveled some more, spending time in a district for a while, before moving on. Forever searching for her.

 _And now?_ Shirou chuckled without humor. _Ten years in the Rukongai, more than thirty districts visited, and I still haven't seen any sign of her._

He knew that it would take a while. 320 districts, and NONE of them were small by any means.

She could be anywhere.

When he had first arrived in the Rukongai he had been desperate to find her. But now?

His soul almost physically hurt.

His only true memory of her had been on that hill, with her telling him that she loved him. But even without that memory, he knew that he loved her. As the years went on, he was able to piece together tiny fragments of memories of her.

She was strong. She was firm in her beliefs. She cared for those around her, sometimes to her own detriment, but she protected them.

She loved him. She had confessed to him.

Only to be ripped away from him, and he didn't know if she was alright.

Now, ten years later, and he wasn't any closer to finding her.

Shirou had to forcefully unclench his hands from the dishes he was cleaning, otherwise they would break.

He had to find her. He _needed_ to find her. His very soul cried out for her. Was she alright? She was disappearing in his memory before they were attacked, was that expected? Teleportation maybe? Did the attack disrupt it? Did it wound her? Yes, she was strong, but anybody could be ambushed.

He forced those thoughts from his mind and back to the topic on hand.

Kishtur was right, he was planning on leaving soon. It had taken him longer than he would have liked, but he had managed to search through this district, and the people he would leave behind knew how to adequately defend themselves now.

It was something that he realized about himself pretty quickly - he could never stand by and watch somebody else suffer. And out in the outer districts? There were many people that were suffering.

What he did was a mere drop in a bucket, and he doubted it would ever amount to much. But to him? To the people he saved? His actions meant the world to them.

That girl and her brother, Rosette and Nikal, would have a warm place to sleep tonight, and longer if they chose to stay. There were twenty children in this house, as well as four adults that he convinced to help him. And that was only the ones that decided to stay at the house.

Small numbers compared to the entirety of the entire district. Yet what did that matter?

He helped bring people together in the districts that he visited and taught them how to help themselves. Small communities in each district, and even as he left they still communicated with each other. A slowly building network. That way he could leave with fewer regrets.

He sighed as he finally finished the dishes. Fewer regrets… But there were still regrets.

He went through routes in his head, trying to decide which District to visit next.

He had actually entertained thoughts of joining the Shinigami Academy that he had heard so much about. Despite encountering idiots like he had earlier, he believed that most of the Shinigami were good people.

Becoming a Shinigami would allow him greater access throughout the district, and better tools to find the one he loved. But it would be many years before he would make it through the Academy… Worth it? Well, he hadn't crossed it off of his list yet. And in the meantime, there were other districts to visit.

He closed his eyes and did his best to imagine her on the hill, the light of the sun at her back, shining off of her armor, giving her the look of an angelic warrior.

Shirou swore once more to himself that he would find her eventually. He would not let anything stop him. He would find her and tell her that her love was reciprocated. It didn't matter if she already knew, he NEEDED to say it to her.

Like the Married Blades at his side, he flew continually through the air to his other half. No matter how much he swerved and detoured he would spin towards one target.

And like the Married Blades, he would cut all that stood in his path till he reached his beloved.

* * *

_Hueco Mundo_

In the vast world of Hollows there lay a hill.

To an observer, there wasn't anything special about this hill. It overlooked a large plain, but the height advantage wasn't that significant.

And yet that didn't stop one Hollow from sitting vigilantly on said hill, the moon at her back.

Hollows had a hierarchy, one determined by power level.

At the bottom were regular hollows, undeserving of any other name.

Next was the giant Gillian, the least of the great hollows. Towering robed monstrosities, each was an amalgamation of lesser hollows, and each lacking any individuality from the other.

Following them was the Adjuchas, the intermediate Great Hollow. When a Gillian grew strong enough, the strongest personality within them emerged and took over. With that, their form was condensed, and they took individual forms.

And finally, the Vasto Lorde. The leaders of the Hollow, and the most powerful Hollow Designation on record. Also the most human-like of the hollows.

Oddly enough, the best way to determine which level a hollow was at was through its size. As they evolved and became stronger, a Hollow became more condensed, shrinking in size and becoming more humanoid.

Based off of that classification, the figure on the hill was no doubt a Vasto Lorde.

The Hollow was short for a human, and the shape of the bone armour indicated that it was female. The remnants of her mask could be seen wrapped around her head like a helmet.

Or a crown.

Two horns extended from her head, looking exceedingly sharp. From the small of her back could be seen two bat-like wings that were currently curled up and out of sight. A scaled tail trailed behind her, bone white with sharp spines. Both her hands and feet ended in claws.

Unlike many of the Vasto Lorde, her bone armor covered almost her entire body in what looked like stylized, interlocking platemail.

If one were to judge from the armor, they would undoubtedly say that she must be some kind of knight.

If one were to judge from her extra appendages, nobody could deny that what they saw was anything but a Dragon.

She stayed kneeling on the hill of pale sand, her eyes closed to the world, the pale moon at her back.

The dragon opened her golden eyes briefly, looking across the plains and a whisper of longing and grief escaped her lips, unheard unless one was right next to her,

"... Shirou…"

* * *

A small way away from the hill upon which a dragon sat, a small stone building had been erected. The stones worn smooth with the slow grinding of the wind, sand, and time against the stone.

It wasn't much of a building - simply four walls and a domed roof covering a single windowless room with one door. For a long time everything was still, only the whistle of wind could be heard, when all of a sudden a rip formed in the air in the center of the room - a Garganta, a tunnel between worlds.

From the black tunnel thundered out a large bear-like Hollow the size of a mini-bus. With six large legs, his body was a mixture of plated bone armour and dense rust colored fur. In his jaw he held a struggling soul, and with a grunt the bear threw the soul to the side of the room.

The soul was that of a tall man with short black hair that was currently a mess. His purple shirt revealed a very short, decaying chain that was sticking out of the center of his chest, with a hole starting to form.

The man scrabbled into the corner frantically, putting as much distance as he could between them as he could, staring at the bear with wide eyes.

"W-w-what? Y-you just drag me out to this, this…" He struggled for a second, his fear emboldening him slightly, "Hovel?! And t-then you j-just drop me?!"

The bear looked deep in thought for a second before giving another grunt, "Yes." And fell onto his side, looking bored.

The man looked at him stunned for a few seconds.

"Really Berlot?"

The chained man gave a start of surprise, looking towards the voice to see a woman leaning against the wall, looking at them wryly. At first he was shocked to see somebody like him with the monster. Except… He looked at her attire in confusion. Not like him.

She had bronze colored skin and black hair. Instead of modern clothes, she appeared to wear sturdy leather armour held together with straps, buckles, and a chain. It actually took him a few seconds of looking at her before he realized that her chain was attached to her chest, like his was. Her's, though, was much longer and sturdier. Attached to her back with several straps was a worn spear, the type he sort of remembered seeing in a museum.

She looked at him and gave him a small, apologetic smile, "I am sorry," she said with a small shrug, "Berlot over there is usually pretty grumpy with everybody. So please, don't take it personally."

The bear didn't budge, simply giving a shrug. "He's here. He's in one piece. His chain is intact. He's just being whiny."

She looked back at him and gave him a small, apologetic smile, "I am sorry," she repeated with a small shrug, "You're probably very confused, and that's understandable."

"Confused?" He could practically _hear_ the edge of hysteria in his own voice, "Y-yeah, you could say that! W-what in the world is going on here!?"

The lady gently took his arm and led him towards the door. Seeing as how that got him away from the masked bear, who was still ignoring them for now, he eagerly went along. Reaching the door, he felt his jaw drop at the sight before him.

"W-what in the world… What is this?"

The lady turned to him and smirked, "Well, most of us call it home now," she said lightly, "But if we had to give it a name? We'd probably call it… Avalon."

* * *

Aiyana returned a couple hours later and immediately collapsed against the bear in a huff. The bear woke up with a small grumble and glanced at her, "Long day?" He asked with a smirk.

She took her spear and smacked his head, which only made him chuckle deeply. "I don't want to hear it," She growled. "I just had to spend who knows how long convincing some hapless spirit that he wasn't going to get eaten by any number of the residents, and your initial scare certainly didn't help!"

The large creature shrugged, slowly standing himself up, and Aiyana eventually followed suit. "I've been through this enough times." He grunted, "Nothing I would have said would have ever convinced him. Better to just drag him here and skip the unnecessary drama." And with that the two walked out themselves.

The land itself was fairly alien in comparison to Earth. Hueco Mundo probably had the market cornered for white sand, and nearby could be seen a small forest of leafless, quartz colored trees. Beyond that, Dunes and rock formations could be seen as far as the eye could glean. In the sky there could be seen a moon shining down on the pale sand, a few rare clouds drifting through the sky.

That was pretty normal and par the course for Hueco Mundo, the land of endless emptiness.

That's not what caused people to look on in awe.

For here, things were a little different, thanks to the presence of their King.

Stretched far across the sands there were numerous houses and huts of various sizes, and though most remained separate from each other, they were close enough to show that they were part of a whole. The small building that they were exiting was a small distance away on one of the smaller dunes, but had a worn down road that led directly through the town. From their position, they could see that the leafless forest was supporting various structures as well.

As amazing as that was, and Aiyana had no trouble telling people how amazing it was considering her part in its construction, it was the populace that would truly take somebody by surprise.

Hollows, both large and small, walked amongst the large streets, accompanied by other spirits with chains in their chests. Where most Hollows would view this as a buffet of spiritual energy, somehow these managed to retain their sanity. Similarly, of the Spirits, their chains remained strong and whole.

She herself had her chain which hadn't shortened in several hundred years.

When a person died with regrets, some other strong desire to stay alive, they became what was known as a Plus. When severed, the chain would normally corrode, and when the corrosion was complete the Plus turned into a Hollow, their first victims usually being their loved ones as they tried to fill the emptiness of their soul. From there, they would continue to devour as much spiritual energy as they could, either from Plus's or from other Hollows, leading to them eventually turning into a Gillian.

Here, however, was different.

Throughout the town and extending to the very boundaries were small, golden motes that floated around, feeling vaguely similar to that of reishi, a soul's energy, dissipating and reappearing seemingly at random. Walking through one of them, Aiyana felt the, now familiar, small surge of warmth once she came in contact with it.

Here, a Spirit's chain wouldn't corrode. Here, a Hollow no longer felt the urge to devour, and was more than just a mindless beast.

Viewing the circumference of the boundary of the golden motes, it wasn't difficult to see the center of the town - a large hill. Unlike the surrounding area, it was completely void of buildings, but most people could see the figure on top of it.

The King, her figure clearly standing out against the backdrop of the sky.

Before she had arrived, none of this existed. And even now they were aware that it would not exist without her.

Something about her, something that she either didn't know or didn't bother to explain, created the golden motes which allowed them to exist peacefully. She had helped set everything up all those years ago, and when there were Hollows that desired to take over…

Her mind went to one such occurrence and she shuddered at the memory.

Their King was a Vasto Lorde, a designation given to the strongest of Hollows... But even taking that into account, Aiyana believed that she was in a league of her own. To a simple Plus like herself, that sort of strength was downright terrifying to behold.

The Plus and Hollow reached one of the dwellings and walked in, and Aiyana looked hesitantly at the large Bear Hollow, "I don't suppose you found any sign of…?" Trailing off when he merely gave a grunt in the negative.

Unlike most Hollows, their Dragon King didn't crave combat, nor did she desire more power (though Aiyana was afraid to consider how she could be more powerful than she already was). For the longest time, centuries even, she didn't seem to desire anything. For years she would sit on the hill and wait, seemingly asleep save for those moments when her presence was needed.

Ten years prior, however, and all of that changed.

It had come as a complete surprise to everybody, but their King had woken up as if she had felt a presence, and for the first time since they all had known her, she _roared._

A Hollow was a creature of instinct. To them, a roar could mean one of several things depending on the emotion behind it. Of intimidation, a declaration of ownership, or of provocation.

The roar their King had made that day was one of loneliness, a call to someone specific.

_Where are you? I am here._

It was after that moment that their King had, also for the first time, asked of them for help. To search for somebody special to her, while she waited for him. A man with red hair and amber eyes. One whose aura felt like sharpened steel.

After all that she had done for them, how could they say no to such a request?

This is why they were so saddened that even after a decade of searching they were unable to find the person their King waited for.

But still they searched, despite how much time had passed. For the respect they had for their King, they would continue to search.

She went to her room and flopped onto the bed with a huff, hearing the thud of Berlot in the next room as he collapsed as well.

It was a big world out there, and that wasn't even accounting the size of Hueco Mundo, nor even the Soul Society, which they were unable to search. She never brought it up, but she truly hoped that they found the person they searched for.

For the first time, ten years ago, she had seen the King show emotion. After everything that she had done for them, she really wanted to see the look of happiness on their King's face instead of sadness.

For that, she and the others that lived here in the Avalon of Hueco Mundo would search in their King's stead.

* * *

Her name was Arturia Pendragon.

This is one of the few things that she remembered as fact.

Years ago - so many years ago - something had happened. She remembered being on a hill facing somebody that made her heart beat faster. She was… Leaving? And she remembered confessing her love to him. However, even as she felt herself going, something had attacked, had tossed her aside before she could move to protect he who she had given her heart to.

She failed, and she found herself somewhere else, and yet before she could reorient herself she had been attacked by a large black creature. A Gillian, she now recognized it as.

It had attempted to absorb her power, only to fail. She _refused_ to wield to one such as that! The result of such an action was that the Gillian had evolved, with her being the one in charge.

She didn't know if she had lost her memories after the black substance attacked, or after the Gillian had done so, but the result was the same. The only thing she remembered was those last moments on that hill.

It was instinct that told her to wait, that told her that he would search for her. And if he was searching for her, then she needed to be somewhere where he could find her. Thus, she found a hill and waited.

For years she waited, in an almost meditative-like state, and simply waited as the years went by. In time, other Hollows came. For those that came peacefully she allowed them to dwell nearby, and she even woke up enough to help them settle before falling into meditation once more. For the many that desired to fight...

She didn't desire conflict, nor an increase in power. And yet some instinct inside of her cried out to protect those that couldn't protect themselves. For them, she would fight and defend.

Years of waiting, so many years, and one day, ten years prior, she had finally felt the presence of the one that she loved. She didn't know where it was, and it was only for one flash of a moment, but she _knew_ it was him. A feeling welled up within her, and she couldn't help but cry out, to call for him, even as she knew he might not hear her.

Years longer had passed, and still she waited. Though impatient, she forced herself to continue to wait. She had waited for centuries before she had received a sign that he was still around. Compared to that, what was a mere decade? She just had to have faith.

Though once he found her, she was not going to let him out of her sight again, and she felt a possessive growl rumble throughout her body to punctuate that fact.

As a Hollow she carried the form of a dragon. And the thing about dragons was that they were protective of that which was theirs.

She had already given her heart to Shirou, and she knew that he felt the same. He was her treasure, and once she had him back she would ensure that nothing took him away from her again.

Thus she waited, her figure looking out over the plains of her territory, feeling out for the presence of the one that she loved.

* * *

_**Author's Notes** _

_**A new year, and a new story idea.** _

_**This is a plot bunny that has been dancing around my head for a while now, and I really wanted to write it out and see what people thought of it. I know that I have several other stories that I am currently writing, so I'm not sure if I will continue this, but at least I managed to get this part written down.** _

_**This is mostly a proof of concept - as such, it is a bit rougher than it could be, so fair warning.** _

_**To answer the inevitable questions - In this timeline, Shirou gave Avalon to Arturia, which is what is creating the safe haven in Hueco Mundo. Also, I am not positive on where this is in the timeline of Bleach. This specific chapter might be before Rukia and Renji entere the Academy, though I do plan on entering the Bleach timeline at some point if I continue this story.** _

_**Anyways, let me know what you guys think of this idea. I will fully acknowledge that I don't know everything regarding Fate, nor Bleach. However, I am definitely a fan of both, and am a fan of Shirou/Arturia pairings in general.** _

_**Thank you very much for reading :)** _


	2. Your Names

Rukia attempted to dodge the punch, only to feel the impact of a foot hit her side as another person blindsided her. Feeling the air leave her lungs, this unfortunately left her open to the other blows.

"This will -" _kick!_ "- teach you to mess with us!" The leader of the four teens snarled viciously. "Maybe knowing who your betters are will keep you -" _smack! "-_ out of our business, eh!"

Though she was in pain, Rukia managed to raise her head and glare up at her oppressors, "Betters?" She spat out in pain, "You need three friends to beat up a little kid. How does that make you better?"

Her head snapped back and she felt her head swim as her head impacted the wall behind her, unable to dodge the punch to her face.

She bit back any cries of pain - she refused to give them the satisfaction, no matter how much it hurt.

Still, she didn't regret what she did… Much.

She had seen a little kid around her age steal a cup of water from a nearby vendor, only for him to be cornered by several teens who demanded a 'tax' for going through their turf.

She hated bullies who picked on kids, something that she saw way too often. Something that had happened way too often to her. So how could she simply stay back and do nothing?

She had rushed in and rammed into the leader, taking the time to sweep the legs out from under the other teens while they were surprised. After having done so, she ordered the kid to run while they were distracted, about to run away herself.

Only for her to suddenly feel the hand of the kid against the small of her back, giving a sudden push that sent her to the ground while he ran away. This, of course, led to the teens then surrounding her to 'punish' her for her audacity.

She hadn't really expected to become friends with the kid - she was too jaded for that, and she was already taking care of a couple others as well - but she didn't expect him to throw her to the wolves to save his own skin!

She felt her eye swelling painfully, which probably made her glare a lot more ineffective. Not that that discouraged her in any way, it just spared them from the worst of her fury in her mind. Still, through the pain, she found herself wondering if this was how she was going to die…

She had seen it happen before.

They weren't even that far away from the main road - she was sure that there were people that could hear what was going on. They just didn't care. And if she did die? What was one more dead kid that nobody cared about?

Oh, she had no illusion how she would one day die. She was just a street urchin. Had been one for decades with no change, despite how young she looked. Every day she was aware it could happen. Thankfully though, it was more likely that these idiots would just beat her to unconsciousness and lose interest.

Though if she couldn't get herself to someplace safe after that...

She flinched as a foot hit her already tender side and her mind cried out in pain, bringing tears to her eyes as all of the air rushed out of her lungs painfully.

She wouldn't let them. Couldn't let them. She had others that were dependent on her!

She braced herself for an incoming hit when suddenly -

"Hey! Get away from her!"

A light pressure seemed to emanate from the entrance of the alley, immediately gaining the attention of all of the occupants.

"Shit! Uki, we gotta scram!"

She blinked (ouch) in surprise, looking at what the others had seen and felt herself tense up as well.

_Crap!_

A man stood at the edge of the alley they were in with a scowl on his face, his bright red hair standing out amidst the dull browns of the surrounding area. He might not have had any weapons, but she could see the muscles and scars all over his body.

That kind of person never had any good interest in kids like her.

Kids would lose interest. Kids she could fight or run away from. But an adult? Without the advantage of a sneak attack, she was well aware of how well that would go.

She got to her feet as quickly as she could (which wasn't very quickly to her chagrin) and attempted to dash off as well, only to collapse when her ankle made it known that it had a sprain.

She attempted to get up once more only for her heart to freeze when she felt a hand touch her shoulder. It was over now. She couldn't run, and she couldn't fight back. She braced herself once more for more pain…

…

Why was the hand on her shoulder so gentle?

She felt a hand slowly move her face, and she opened her eyes to see a soft amber looking back at her, "Hey, it's alright now." He assured her, "You're safe now, but I see that you have a few wounds. Is it alright if I wrap them up?"

… _What?_

She gave a tentative nod, only to watch blankly as he carefully looked at the wounds on her face and ankle, bringing out some bandages from a sack he was carrying and carefully wrapped her ankle before putting some kind of cream on the wounds on her face.

He was moving slowly, being very careful not to startle her, and it left her absolutely baffled.

"Why are you helping?" She asked suddenly.

He paused slightly in his work before giving her a sad smile, "It sounded like you were in trouble." He responded simply, as if the answer should have been obvious.

She raised a (non-injured) eyebrow at him, "That's it?" She asked incredulously.

He gave an unconcerned shrug, "Is it wrong?" He countered.

She continued to look at him in disbelief.

Now, it would be a lie to say that there weren't any 'nice' Spirits sent to Inuzuri. They came, just like any other spirit did, but in her opinion they were like a shooting star. A rare occurrence that wowed the few people who managed to catch sight of it, only for life to continue on the moment it passed.

Still, _if_ this was actually a good man, then she might as well take advantage of it while she could. If it wasn't…

The man finished wrapping her injuries and looked at her once more, "Is there anybody that I can take you to to look after you?" He asked, "Or someplace I can bring you to?"

… Well, if he wasn't then she was pretty much dead and there was nothing she could do about it, so she was really hoping that he was good.

It wasn't like she stayed in one place very long anyways. Once she reached her friends they could help her move around and they could move to another hideout. It wasn't like they had any belongings tying them down anyways.

So she nodded, "I have a place on the outskirts of the district." She replied, accepting his hand as he lifted her up gently. She tested her ankle, slowly applying pressure to it, and hissed when a spike of pain accompanied the movement, her side then burning at her sudden intake of breath.

She found herself braced by the strange man, and he lifted her slightly, giving her wounded side some reprieve. "Careful," He cautioned as he looked at her in concern, the emotion paradoxically filling her with indignation and warmth…

She had spent decades looking after herself and others, she certainly didn't need him telling her when to be careful!

At the same time it was kinda… sorta nice that somebody was concerned about her. Even if it was faked. Nobody else had even put in that sort of effort for somebody like her.

Still, she did her best to give him a glare as she righted herself, "I'm fine. I don't need any help." She huffed.

He gave her a wry look, "I'm sure you don't." He replied, and for the life of her she wasn't sure if he was mocking her or not. "But would you like some help?" Bringing out his arms to indicate he could carry her.

She glared at him for a few seconds, eventually giving a small nod. It wasn't like she could stop him if he wanted to follow her, so once again she might as well take advantage of the weird generosity while it lasted.

Once again moving slowly, he carefully picked her up in his arms, and she couldn't help but tense once more at the odd feeling of somebody carrying her like this before she could relax.

"So are you going to tell me your name?" She asked as she tried to ignore the feeling of oddness, and he paused for a moment before giving a small huff of laughter.

"I'm sorry, I seem to be making a habit of forgetting to give that detail," He stated wryly, and she could see that he looked a bit embarrassed. "My name is Shirou Emiya. I'm new to the area."

 _Huh._ She wasn't sure that he would give a name, and so readily at that. Though he didn't need to say he was new to the area - that part was obvious.

She nodded seriously, "I'm Rukia." She returned. He was helping her after all, and it was only polite.

He looked down and smiled, "It's a pleasure to meet you Rukia." His look turned inquisitive, "So where would you like me to head?" He asked.

"I have a place near the outskirts." She explained, pointing in a direction. "Go that way till the houses start thinning out."

He nodded, and the next moment it was all she could do to prevent herself from screaming as he suddenly _jumped_ onto one of the houses they were next to, and the next moment they were moving faster than she ever had, and she grabbed onto his shirt as tightly as she could as she felt the air rush through past her clenched eyes.

The wind suddenly stopped, "Where to next?" He asked in an amused voice, and she cracked her eyes open to see that they had made it all the way to the edge of the District in a fraction of the time she would have been able to on her own.

She glared at Shirou furiously, "W-what was that!" She growled, and he gave an apologetic shrug.

"I ran?" He replied as if that answered everything, feigning innocence but with mirth clearly dancing in his eyes.

She glared at him, but more than that she was furiously trying to figure out what the heck he just did. That was NOT normal in any way shape or form. If other people could move that fast, then why hadn't she seen anybody do so? There was no way that she'd have been able to get away from anybody if that were the case.

"Sooo, where to next?" He asked once more, his tone polite but she could swear that she still heard amusement in it.

She kept up her glare for a moment before her various aches and pains forced her to let it go. Glancing around, it was fairly easy to identify where they were, and she pointed in another direction, "A couple streets that way." She stated, holding on tightly just in case he decided to go fast once more, giving a quick sigh in relief when he simply walked the remaining distance.

Her current hideout was a derelict house that once had aspirations of being a two story building. Sadly, it appeared that somebody had given up halfway through, as portions of the roof and second story were incomplete. Still, what sections there were that were done were decently made. Nobody else lived nearby, and the conditions of the rest of the area was bad enough that none of the local gangs were interested in it yet. That made it good enough for her.

They didn't have the chance to walk through the door however. As soon as the house came in sight they heard a panicked cry of "RUKIA!" And suddenly things became a blur.

Literally.

In front of Shirou a plume of dark smoke appeared, and a blonde haired girl with a pink stripe appeared lashing out with a kick towards Shirou's head with a snarl on her face, while another swish of smoke revealed a black haired boy who was reaching his hands out towards Rukia, ready to grab her.

Suddenly Shirou (and by extension she) was spinning, twisting out of the way, easily avoiding the kick while moving Rukia away from the grasping hands of the boy. Gently shifting Rukia to one arm, his other lashed out and grabbed the other girl by the back of the shirt while kicking out and launching himself away from the boy.

All of that happened in an instant, and as soon as Rukia realized what was happening she shouted out, "Wait! Don't attack him!"

Fear clutched her heart - no matter how nice a person was, surely there were limits, right?

The other girl growled, hatred in her eyes as she glared at Shirou, "What did you do to Rukia!" Even as she lashed out and kicked him with what she could, "LET US GO!"

Rukia saw the boy tense up and prepare to make another move and she reached out and grabbed the girls arm, "No! Stop! He's just helping me!"

Both slowly calmed down, giving Rukia a confused look, "He's… Helping?" The girl asked incredulously, shooting another glare at the man.

"That's right!" She stated quickly, gratefully noting that the boy no longer looking like he was going to attack.

Carefully she raised her eyes to look at Shirou, almost afraid of what she'd see, only to let out a grateful breath when she saw that he didn't look offended. Just slightly bemused.

"I take it you know each other?" He asked dryly.

* * *

It had taken some explanations, but they eventually made it inside the hideout and Shirou carefully laid her down on a pile of threadbare cloth that was clearly being used as a bed near the fireplace. As soon as he did so, both the girl and the boy latched onto her, and she positioned herself to be slightly in front of him.

Even if she was trusting him, it made the two more comfortable this way.

She watched as he looked around the building with a frown, "Is it just you three around here?" He asked, and she looked at him with narrowed eyes before shrugging.

"We manage." She replied, and the girl behind her nodded furiously.

"Yeah, Rukia is the best, and is the only person that we need!" She declared proudly, leveling another glare at the man. Though the boy remained quiet, she could sense that he was in agreement.

The man remained patient and gave her an approving look, "I see that she's done a good job so far." He replied, and she was once again struck by how warm his golden eyes were. "So I know Rukia now, but what are your names?" He asked curiously, and both girl and boy flinched.

They remained silent for several moments, and Rukia grabbed both of them and pulled them closer, "They don't have any yet." She replied defensively. "... They've asked me to give them some, and I've been working on coming up with some."

She had been debating various names for a while, and it was starting to frustrate her. She didn't want just any name - this was something that meant something important to the two!

Shirou nodded in understanding, his eyes crinkling with sorrow, "I see. I can understand - I lost my memories when I first arrived in the Soul Society as well. But whatever names she chooses, I know that it will be something the two of you will treasure." The words causing both boy and girl to beam, clearly their impression of the man raising a few degrees.

… _Great, thanks for adding more pressure!_

"So what happened back at the alley," he continued, bringing her out of her thoughts, "Does that sort of thing happen often?"

She felt both arms grip her arms possessively, the girl almost growling, and Rukia attempted to wave it off. "Not really. I usually try to help other kids if I see them in a situation. That's how I came across these two," She smiled at the two. "It's usually not long term though. I help them, and then we'll both go our own way."

It was mostly against those she deemed to be bullies - older kids like the teenagers from earlier. They were trying to survive as well, much like she was, but they did so by stealing from others.

Which wasn't like what she did at all! She just stole from the vendors who already had way too much and yet refused to share with kids!

Bullies, in her mind, stole from other younger kids just because it was easier. They waited for others to do the hard work, and then ambushed them and forced them to give up whatever they had. If the victims were lucky, they'd leave them alone right after that.

"I see." He mused, seemingly coming to a decision and giving her a small smile, "I'm going to go out for a bit, but is it alright if I come back in about an hour?"

The three looked at him suspiciously. With the help of the other two they could head before an hour was up and find another place to hole up for the evening, but it wouldn't be a pleasant trip with her current injuries. She had been hoping for at least a day to recover before he decided to check up on her again. Still, she nodded.

At least he was giving her the illusion of control.

He gave her another reassuring smile and left the house, and through the cracks she could see a brief flash of blue as some sort of energy activated around him.

"He has Reiryoku, just like you Rukia," the girl said in surprise.

_Looked like it… But somehow he's using it to make himself faster._

Rukia brought up her hand and focused, eventually creating a small orb of swirling blueish-white light. She stared at it for a while contemplatively before letting it dissipate.

_How did he do that?_

She had stumbled upon the power one day without having any idea what it did. She just knew that she could do it, and most others couldn't. She used it as a distraction sometimes - she'd shoot it at a vendor, causing them to panic enough for her to quickly grab some supplies and run away. Not that the energy ever did anything, it would usually just vanish after hitting something solid. It was after doing it to one vendor and he had shouted that she had reiryoku that she realized what it was even called.

Ultimately she had ignored it. It was useful as a distraction, and messing around with it kept her entertained some evenings, but other than that it was worthless to her.

Apparently it had a few more uses that she hadn't realized.

The boy got their attention, "Are we relocating?" He asked seriously, and Rukia grimaced, eventually shaking her head. "No, I don't… think that he means any harm. Still, we should be careful around him."

The other two nodded, taking a moment to settle down and began fussing over Rukia and her injuries, much to her irritation. She was the one that took care of them, not the other way around.

He came back sooner than she had expected, though he walked to the back of the house and remained in the yard for some reason. After waiting for a moment she found herself standing up (much to the displeasure of her self-appointed nursemaids) and walked to the door. Looking out, she felt her mouth drop at the sight.

"W-what is that?!" She demanded in awe and slight fear, both girl and boy behind her crying out at the sight.

The redhead that had helped her was kneeling over some strange creature and was doing something to it with a knife. It was a furred, four legged creature with a small tail, like some of the stray dogs she had seen across the district. This thing, however, was much larger, and instead of paws it had some sort of sharp, hard material at the end of each leg. On its head it had dangerous looking antlers.

"Is… is that a Hollow?" She asked tentatively.

She had heard of Hollows of course. Had heard them even, though it was mostly through distant roars. She had heard that Shinigami were responsible for taking them out, and she supposed they must have been doing their jobs as those roars had never managed to make it into the village.

Shirou looked startled for a moment before giving a small laugh, "No, not at all," he assured her, "Have you never seen a deer before?"

She looked at him skeptically, "A… deer?" Nope. She had never heard of something like that. Was he making fun of her?

"Yeah," He said as he continued to cut into the animal, causing the three of them to blanch at all the blood, "People hunt them for food."

All three continued to look at him blankly. They were dependent on stealing for any food they ate, and even then it was never anything fancy (not that the people they ever stole from had much else), usually just rice balls.

"Ah, this part is pretty messy," Shirou explained with a sheepish look, "You don't need to watch this, I'll be finished in a moment."

Stubbornly, she stayed and watched, trying to figure out what he was doing, though the other two retreated back into the house while keeping a close eye on her.

She watched as he stripped the fur from the meat, carefully placing it aside, and then started cutting up the meat itself. He then took those pieces and brought them inside to a room that had an oven and started a fire, and with a flash of blue created several blades that made her tense up.

_More stuff to do with Reiroku…_

He arranged the blades in some sort of grill over the fire and placed the meat on them, bringing out some stuff from his bags and placed it on the meat. Within moments she could start smelling it, and her mouth began to water.

In an attempt to distract herself from the smell and the effect it was having on her stomach, she asked a question that she had been curious about.

"So what exactly brings you to this District?"

He said earlier that he was new to the area - and he didn't have the confusion that new souls would have. This meant that he purposefully traveled to this District.

Nobody traveled to Inuzuri on purpose. Heck, she was determined to _leave_ with the other two as soon as an opportunity presented itself.

Remaining focused on the meat, "Actually, I'm trying to find somebody." He replied seriously. "Somebody that I used to know."

The boy looked at him with a raised eyebrow, "And you're trying to find them here?" He asked skeptically.

Shirou nodded, "Why not here?" He countered. "It's just as likely a location as any for souls."

Rukia nodded in understanding. With that piece of information things made more sense - he helped her because she was a local and would know the place better than he would. He was continuing to help them so they could help him later. That was fine - that form of exchange was something she could understand.

"So what does the person look like?" She asked. Regardless of his reason, he did help her, so she didn't mind helping him.

He nodded towards his bag, "I have a picture of her in my bag, if you want to look at it."

… _Just like that, he's trusting me with his bag?_

Maybe he was crazy.

She went over to his bag and looked it over. It was a fairly large one, kinda like what she had seen some merchants carry. She opened it up and saw multiple containers of stuff similar to what he was putting on the meat, followed by a couple sets of clothing and writing utensils. Carefully folded against one side of the bag was a paper, and she picked it up and looked at it.

The woman looking back at her from the paper was beautiful, the drawing managing to convey a sense of warmth, completely lacking the snobbishness that she associated with most adults.

A low whistle sounded next to Rukia's ear, "Wow, is she your girlfriend?" The girl asked with wide eyes.

"Yes." He immediately replied, a look of sadness passing over his face that caused the girl to falter slightly.

Rukia coughed, carefully putting the picture back, "Well, I hope you find her." She stated awkwardly.

She didn't recognize her, but, well, the District WAS pretty large…

He gave her a small smile, "I know I will," He stated confidently, "It's just a matter of time."

He continued to work with the meat for several minutes after that while the three kept silent, eventually putting the meal on improvised plates. He created some chopsticks with his reiroku once more ( _she was carefully watching, and yet she still couldn't figure out how he did that… But she would.)_ and handed both to her. "Careful, it's hot." He warned, and she scoffed at his warning. She had eyes, she could clearly see it was hot.

She took a small nibble, pausing for a moment as she tentatively moved the food back and forth in her mouth. Her eyes widened in shock as she immediately took a larger bite, promptly ignoring how hot it was in favor of the amazing taste as she took more and more bites.

 _What is this?_ She thought incredulously, _W-why doesn't everybody eat deer if this is how good it tastes?!_

"... This is good." The boy stated as he ate at a more sedate pace, though clearly it was only through great effort. Meanwhile the girl didn't even bother with words as she immediately began shoveling the food into her mouth with gusto.

Shirou hadn't been out for even an hour before returning, so it wasn't like the deer was hard to find. If that was the case, then deer must be fairly dangerous creatures, like Hollow's, otherwise everybody would be hunting them for food.

She looked at Shirou, who was now cooking more of the meat with a content smile on his face. "Teach me." She demanded, causing him to look at her in confusion.

"Teach you to cook?"

"No!" _Well, maybe later… What use was cooking without something to cook?_ "Teach me how to become as strong as you are." She repeated, looking intently at him, and the two others paused in their eating to look at her. "You don't have a place to stay, right? You can stay here if you can teach me how you became as strong as you are."

_Easy promise to make - it wasn't like the place was hers, and with Shirou around it wasn't like any of the gangs would try to kick her out. In turn, that would make it easier for the others._

He looked at her carefully, "I have no problem teaching you," he stated as he carefully removed the meat from the grille, giving her his full attention. "But why do you want to become stronger?"

_Wasn't it obvious?_

She could have given any number of answers, but she truly wanted him to teach her, so she wanted to make sure she gave a good answer.

"... I don't want to be weak." She stated firmly, clenching her fists in frustration as images of the past came to mind. She tried to help where she could, but she was just _one kid_. "I have others that I need to protect, I can't afford to be weak! I tried to help someone and got beat up. YOU just walked in the alley, and all those bullies ran away!"

The weak were dependent on others. Not that that was necessarily a bad thing, but she had two that were reliant on her, so she had to be the strong one - she couldn't afford to be dependent on others. They were her responsibility in a District that was determined to grind them to the dust.

"Rukia…" The girl murmured, grabbing and taking hold of the sleeve of her kimono.

She stared at Shirou intently as he looked at her, eventually giving her an approving look that made her breath easier. "I can teach you how to fight and defend yourself," He stated before letting out a breath, "I'm afraid I'm not good at much else though. Do you know how to fight?" He asked curiously, and she gave him an affronted look.

"I've survived in this district for years." She retorted in a bland voice. _Of course she knew how to fight!_

He didn't say anything about Reiryoku… Did he think she didn't know about it? Or perhaps he thought she didn't have it?

Still, now wasn't the time to bring it up. He agreed to teach her, and that was enough for now. She could talk to him about it later.

He ignored her tone and nodded thoughtfully. "I'll test you and see where you're at later, and we can go from there." He stated, "But all of that will have to wait till your wounds are healed and you are well rested. Exhaustion is the enemy."

She nearly snorted at the odd phrase. Still, it wasn't exactly _wrong,_ and she was tired and still hurting. However, the girl at her side jumped up, "Hey! If you're going to be teaching Rukia, then I'm joining as well!" She declared, and the boy nodded seriously.

"Are you sure?" Shirou asked them with a measured look tinged in concern, "It's not going to be easy." He cautioned.

The girl growled, "What, you think we can't take it? Hah! Rukia's not the only one that can fight you know! I was taking it easy on you earlier 'cause you had her in your arms, but tomorrow I'll really let you have it!"

He looked at her with an amused expression and chuckled, "Well then, it sounds like I have something to look forward to tomorrow." He replied with a small smile. He reached over and rubbed her hair, causing her to stiffen and surprise before growling at him once more. "Tomorrow I'll cook some lunch and we can go out to the fields to train. I'll put you through some tests to see where you guys are, and we can go from there. You, however," he turned to Rukia, "as I said, will have to wait till you're fully healed."

Rukia nodded in understanding, though she still frowned. She disliked the idea of the other two fighting without her. The girl gave her a bright smile, "Don't worry Rukia," She said enthusiastically, "This time we'll be there to protect you!"

Before she could respond Shirou interrupted them, "Alright, if you really want to train tomorrow, then you've got to be well rested for it. I was serious when I said that exhaustion was the enemy - it's not nearly as beneficial to train if you're tired."

Rukia huffed, this was certainly the first time that she had ever had an enforced curfew. Still, she humored him, and with the assistance of the other two made her way to the pile of cloth, the three of them huddling close together as Rukia hugged them close.

For the first time in her entire afterlife, she was actually looking forward to something other than surviving. It was irrational - just because the guy said he was going to teach them didn't mean that he was going to stay for long.

And yet, despite herself, she felt hope.

* * *

Shirou looked at where the three huddled together on the floor and he sighed at the sight, reaching into his bag and pulling out a blanket and very carefully laid it over them.

They were sleeping on the hard floor while wearing the rags they had been wearing before and curled against each other. And yet despite that their faces showed contentment.

A single warm meal, a blanket to sleep under next to a gentle fire, some affection from a stranger… Honestly, they probably felt like they were on top of the world with just that.

He didn't think that the quality of his cooking was truly as great as people made it out to be. Instead, it was probably more likely that many of these souls hadn't actually had a good meal in _years_. Souls did not require to eat unless they had a certain amount of spiritual power after all.

But just because they didn't need to didn't mean they couldn't, and after years of not eating anybody would think that a simple meal was a feast. For children who didn't remember their past life? It was quite probable that they _never_ had had a good meal.

Very carefully he left the building, walking down the road and past several other deserted houses. Only when he was a suitable distance did he let his anger and frustration loose a little. A pale blue aura expanded his body as his muscles clenched, his spiritual pressure expanded and pressed down against the buildings causing them to creak and groan under the pressure. After a moment carefully focused and reigned it back in.

How could people see all of this and think that it was alright?

Time and time again he had seen this sort of thing happen in the various Districts. Children were abandoned and left for dead; adults - those who had a responsibility to look after children - had no problem with beating up kids or simply looking the other way when something of that nature happened; children forced to look after themselves or other children because the adults couldn't be troubled.

It would be one thing if the adults were overworked or something of that nature. He wouldn't have approved, but he would have at least understood. But when the majority of people had no other duties or responsibilities save to look after themselves - when they had every opportunity to do something _and yet they didn't do it…_

That frustrated him to no end.

He was no longer as naive as he was when he first arrived in the Soul Society. He had seen how selfish and brutal others could be, and had found some truly vile people that were more than happy to take advantage of the lawlessness of the area at the expense of all around them, children and adults alike.

On the other hand… Well, he didn't know that he changed all that much beyond that. Seeing all of that just furthered his desire to help all of these people. And in doing that, just as he had seen a lot of darkness in people, he had found a lot of good as well.

Such as Rukia.

Quite frankly it had been a huge stroke of luck that he ran into the girl, for both him and her. Usually whenever he first came into a district he would spend weeks attempting to make contact with the people. To him, offering to help people was the best way to gain their trust, and yet in the outer districts he had continually been met with paranoia and distrust.

Which he could understand to an extent. When a warrior comes by and offers to fix your roof he supposed they were allowed a certain level of skepticism. As such, making friends was often a hard won feat.

Only one day here in the Inuzuri District though and he had managed to find not only somebody that was willing to trust him (to a certain extent) but that person was one of the rare few that was trying to help others despite the horrible circumstances they themselves were in.

How could he not be touched by that? But by that same note, how could he not be saddened?

Rukia was just a child. A mature child to be sure - she had to be in a place like this - but a child nonetheless, and she was not only taking care of two other children, but finding time to help others when she could.

Children… they shouldn't have to look at the most basic of comforts and see them as luxuries. They shouldn't need to steal from others in order to survive. They shouldn't have to be forced to look after other children. How could anybody see this as alright? Why has nobody tried to change it?

Once again, he had to make sure to keep his spiritual pressure from going out of control as his anger at the situation grew. Within his soul, he felt a faint wave of both comfort and vindication from many of the Zanpakuto within.

_[Two weapons in particular seemed to solidify with this sentiment - a long sword wreathed in lightning and a black and gold bow of intricate make. They flickered into existence only to fade once more, leaving behind them a wave of protectiveness of those children and hatred towards those that would abuse them.]_

Regaining control of his emotions, he sent a feeling of gratitude towards the presences he could barely feel.

Even if he could only hear and see Kanshou and Bakuya, the others still existed. He had no intention of ignoring them simply because of his own deficiencies.

He made his way back to the house, taking deep calming breaths of the cool evening air, eventually going to where he had left the remains of the deer and began to treat the remains.

To distract himself from his earlier fury, he allowed his thoughts to travel to the question of his origins. Of his life. While he might not have his memories, his skills could certainly provide clues. Unfortunately, the combination of those skills downright confused him.

Cooking, basic carpentry, sewing, archery, swordsmanship… An eclectic assortment by anyone's standards. And if his looks were any indication when he had first arrived in the Soul Society, he learned all of this by the age of either seventeen or eighteen. Was he some sort of battle butler or something?

Knowing how to do various household tasks was probably common knowledge, but with how second nature they came to him was probably an indication that he was a handyman of some sort. Archery could possibly be a hobby he had picked up, though his level of skill said that he probably spent a lot of time practicing to get as good as he did.

It was the swordsmanship that really threw him for a loop. That, and his knowledge of weaponry in general. It wasn't for a sport - the moves that he instinctively knew were designed to kill or disable. He had considered the possibility that such knowledge was given to him through Kanshou and Bakuya themselves, but that idea had quickly been discarded.

The two were his friends and partners, and they clearly wanted him to become strong, but they were hardly the type to give him something he hadn't worked for, nor would he want them to. So then where did he find the time to become so skilled at his age? Especially with everything else he was apparently doing?

Furthermore, even without the memories of his life, he understood that he was from the 'modern' world. Concepts like 'guns', 'computers', and 'phones' were familiar to him. But if that was the case, then why is it that all of his memories of his beloved were of her in armor using a sword?

He huffed slightly as he finished skinning the deer. In the end the mystery of his skill set truly didn't bother him - if he didn't remember, then there wasn't anything he could do about it, and it wasn't like he didn't have two purposes to fill. If he had learned a skill that would help him fulfill those purposes while he was alive, then all the better.

He stood up and stretched, making sure everything was safely put away and out of the way from any animals before making his way back inside the house. He quickly laid out his bedroll on the other side of the room of the three children - careful to give them space - and drifted off to sleep.

He hoped that the children retained their enthusiasm for training the next day. The more dangerous a place was, the stronger a person needed to be to survive, so he intended to push them hard.

* * *

Rukia had woken up to the sensation of a blanket draping over her and the other two.

Pretending to still be asleep, she watched through lidded eyes as Shirou went outside before bringing up a shaking hand and rubbed the soft blanket between her fingers.

After everything that happened, most would consider it odd that this impacted her as much as it did, but how could it not?

Everything else that the man had done, however nice, could be construed as being beneficial to himself in some way. By helping them, he gained a place to stay and access to somebody that knew the district. True, he fed them, but it was also to feed himself.

Giving them his blanket though?

Ok, it was just a blanket. Just a piece of cloth (a very nice piece of cloth that was soft and comfy and didn't have any holes in it), but he already had their gratitude and agreement. Giving them his blanket would make absolutely no difference.

Honestly, in her eyes this was the first truly selfless act he had made.

It was that action, more than anything, that told Rukia that they could trust Shirou Emiya.

With that thought that she looked towards the two that she had claimed as her responsibility, licking her lips nervously before making the decision, giving them both a light shake to wake them up.

The boy woke up almost instantly, looking at her intently, if sleepily, while the girl gave a huge yawn, "R-Rukia?" Another yawn and slowly closing eyes, "W-wuz wrong?"

Rukia took a steadying breath, "I think… that is, I've thought of names for you two… If you'd like."

She had been going through various names lately and had been deliberating between each of them, but it was only now that she had made her decision final.

The words triggered an instant reaction. The girl immediately opened her eyes in excitement, all tiredness forgotten as tears of hope shone in her green eyes, "Really?" She asked eagerly, and the boy stared at her with equal intensity.

She nodded, feeling a touch of nervousness that she plowed through. Reaching out with her finger, she touched the girl's nose, "You are Homura." She stated softly, turning to the boy and rubbing his hair fondly, "and you are Shizuka."

She looked back and forth at the two, her heart in her throat as she waited for their reactions, "Is… is that alright?"

The now named Homura continued to stare at her with tears in her eye, "Ho...Mu...Ra" She repeated slowly, as if testing it, suddenly wrapping herself around Rukia and letting the tears flow freely. "I love it." She gasped. "I love it Rukia! Thank you! Thank you thank you thank you!"

"Shizuka…" The boy mumbled, smiling slightly and nodding, giving Rukia a much more gentle hug. "Yes. That is my name."

Rukia relaxed under the combined hugs of the two, feeling overwhelming relief that they liked them. She had thought of several, but in that moment those names seemed most fitting after the events of the day.

Homura and Shizuka

_With the future now before us, 'The two of you shall shine brightly'_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Notes
> 
> Apparently I have been in a Bleach mood. That, and I am really surprised and grateful for the response that this story has gotten from everybody. Thank you so much for your comments and your encouragement, I truly appreciate them.
> 
> For future chapters, what will probably happen is I will try to alternate between Shirou and Arturia unless I get the urge to do otherwise.
> 
> I will give a warning that I do not have a regular posting schedule - my life is pretty busy as is, and I am usually a pretty slow writer in addition to this just being a hobby. I might post another chapter in a couple weeks, or it might be several months. It all depends on the whims of my creativity.
> 
> I'd like to thank my sister, CaptainDarkElf, for her willingness to beta read this chapter for me and for the recommendations that she gave, and I hope that everybody continues to enjoy the stories that I write.


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